betty crocker moment

Look what we did LaVarre! The elderflower had a really good growing season this year. It bloomed for ages it seems. One day I decided that today was the day (actually about a month ago) to go and collect enough elderflower to make some elderflower cordial, one of LaVarre's favorite drinks.

It was surprisingly easy and I will definitely do it again next year.

Emily went flower picking with me...she loved it. We drove around on the country lanes until we found a place to stop. It was a beautiful summer day (it seems to have been raining ever since) the sun was hot and the hedgerows were heavy with blooms, bees and pollen. When we picked the flower heads you could see all of the pollen poof up into the air, it was cool. So imagine driving down this little country road, wide enough for one car going in one direction, with tall hedgerows growing on either side, with the windows down enjoying the peace and quiet of the countryside. We finally came across an old farmstead with a disused farmhouse and some huge empty barns that had tons of elderflower trees. Perfect.

So how do you do it? Easy, boil some water, add flowers, sugar, some lemon, oranges and citric acid and let is sit, cooling for 24 hours. Then the next day strain it into sterilized bottles. Yummy.

Only problem is that it doesn't last that long. I have some in the freezer that will last a couple months but thats it. So LaVarre if you want some you better come quick.